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2006-07 AIS-AFL Academy squad announced

Aug 16, 2006 12:00AM

The AFL has nominated 30 of the nation’s elite young footballers to receive an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship and become a member of the tenth AIS-AFL Academy Squad intake.

The 2006/2007 Academy Squad features 26 players who took part in the recent NAB AFL Under 16 Championships in Queensland and two from the NAB AFL Under 18 Championships in Melbourne.

The squad includes 11 Victorians, eight West Australians, three Queenslanders, four South Australians, one player from the NSW/ACT region, one Tasmanian and two players from the Northern Territory.

The AIS-AFL Academy is part of a commitment made by the AFL and the Australian Sports Commission, through the Australian Institute of Sport, to support Australian football’s best young players with their football and education development.

The squad will take part in a non-residential program allowing scholarship holders to remain at home to complete their secondary schooling.

AFL General Manager Game Development David Matthews welcomed the latest AIS-AFL Academy intake.

“The AIS-AFL Academy is a key component of the NAB AFL Rising Stars Program as it provides an intensive, 12-month training program for 30 elite young players from all around Australia,” said Matthews.

“This is the tenth intake, with 270 young players from across Australia having taken part since 1997.”

Of the players currently listed at the 16 AFL clubs, 121 or 17 per cent have graduated from the AIS-AFL Academy.

Over the next year, the players will meet for four camps during school holidays and also play an International Rules series against Ireland in Ireland.